Different types of case study designs

First, in relational designs, a range of variables are measured. Such studies controlled trials, particularly if randomised and blinded, have the potential to control for most of the biases that can occur in scientific studies but whether this actually occurs depends on the quality of the study design and implementation.

A non-analytic or descriptive study does not try to quantify the relationship but tries to give us a picture of what is happening in a population, e. Chapter 18, Action Research. This also increases the chance that key variables change during the course of the study, potentially impacting the validity of the findings.

A defined population P from which groups of subjects are studied Outcomes O that are measured And for experimental and analytic observational studies: It is harder to do than conducting conventional research because the researcher takes on responsibilities of advocating for change as well as for researching the topic.

Action Research Design Definition and Purpose The essentials of action research design follow a characteristic cycle whereby initially an exploratory stance is adopted, where an understanding of a problem is developed and plans are made for some form of interventionary strategy.

The cyclic nature of action research to achieve its twin outcomes of action [e. True experiments, whilst giving analyzable data, often adversely influence the normal behavior of the subject [a. Experimental studies, or randomised controlled trials RCTsare similar to experiments in other areas of science.

This type of study design is often used to test the effectiveness of a treatment compared to placebo or to the currently best available treatment. Can estimate prevalence of an outcome of interest because the sample is usually taken from the whole population.

Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena and to describe "what exists" with respect to variables or conditions in a situation.

Participative Inquiry and Practice. The ability to fulfill the aims of your research are directly related to the amount and quality of documentation available to understand the research problem.

These studies all include matched groups of subjects and assess of associations between exposures and outcomes. State problems just require one measurement of the phenomena of interest, while process problems always require multiple measurements.

These factors are known as confounding variables. However, you can get a sense of what to do by reviewing the literature of studies that have utilized the same research design.

Since historical research relies on data from the past, there is no way to manipulate it to control for contemporary contexts. If analytic, was the intervention randomly allocated? These designs compare two or more groups on one or more variable, such as the effect of gender on grades.

The results from a descriptive research cannot be used to discover a definitive answer or to disprove a hypothesis. This is a collaborative and adaptive research design that lends itself to use in work or community situations.

The classic experimental design specifies an experimental group and a control group. Action research studies often have direct and obvious relevance to improving practice and advocating for change. Sage,pp, ; Experimental Research. Procedures for the Behavioral Sciences. In social sciences research, obtaining information relevant to the research problem generally entails specifying the type of evidence needed to test a theory, to evaluate a program, or to accurately describe and assess meaning related to an observable phenomenon.

Finally, in an experimental design, the researcher must think of the practical limitations including the availability of participants as well as how representative the participants are to the target population.

While longitudinal studies involve taking multiple measures over an extended period of time, cross-sectional research is focused on finding relationships between variables at one moment in time.Different Types of Case Studies There are several types of case studies, each differing from each other based on the hypothesis and/or thesis to be proved.

It is also possible for types of case studies to overlap each other. A research design is the set of methods and procedures used in collecting and analyzing measures of the variables specified in the research problem agronumericus.com design of a study defines the study type (descriptive, correlation, semi-experimental, experimental, review, meta-analytic) and sub-type (e.g., descriptive-longitudinal case study).

Study Designs.

This short article gives a brief guide to the different study types and a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages. See also Levels of Evidence.

These study designs all have similar components (as we’d expect from the PICO). Study Designs. This short article gives a brief guide to the different study types and a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages. See also Levels of Evidence. These study designs all have similar components (as we’d expect from the PICO).

Types of Study Designs Meta-Analysis A way of combining data from many different research studies. A meta-analysis is a statistical process that combines the findings from individual studies.

Case-control Study Case-control studies begin with the outcomes and do not follow people over time. Researchers choose people with a particular result. An overview of the types of case study designs is provided along with general recommendations for writing the research questions, developing propositions, determining the “case” under study, binding the case and a discussion of data sources and triangulation.